North Auckland > Public Hospital Services > Waitematā District Health Board (WDHB) >
Waitematā DHB Intensive Care & High Dependency Units
Public Service
Description
- heart, lung and blood vessel surgery is provided by Auckland City Hospital (ICU patients then stay in Cardiothoracic and Vascular ICU)
- brain surgery, liver/kidney/pancreas transplantation, complex major trauma and some types of liver failure management are provided by Auckland City Hospital (ICU patients then stay in the Department of Critical Care Medicine)
- burn management is provided by Middlemore Hospital (ICU patients then stay in Middlemore Hospital ICU).
The North Shore Hospital combined ICU/HDU admits patients to the Intensive Care Team. The intensive care patients are the sickest patients in the hospital and have one-to-one nursing. High dependency patients are those who are not as sick but need more specialised medical and nursing input than can be provided on a general ward and may be nursed in a two-to-one ratio.
The multidisciplinary team within ICU/HDU is made up of highly experienced and professional doctors, nurses and allied health staff. The Consultant doctors are those who have specialised in taking care of very ill patients (Intensivists) and Registrar doctors training to be specialists in intensive care, anaesthesia, emergency medicine, internal medicine and surgery. The registered nurses are specialised in intensive care and high dependency nursing. Allied health members include physiotherapists, dietitians, pharmacists, radiographers, occupational therapists, speech language technicians and biomedical technicians.
Consultants
-
Dr Jonathan Casement
Intensivist
-
Dr Robert Everitt
Emergency Medicine Specialist
-
Dr Annette Forrest
Intensivist
-
Dr Ywain Lawrey
Clinical Director ICU and HDU
-
Dr Janet Liang
Intensivist
-
Dr Lesley Maher
Intensivist
-
Dr Annemarie Mitchell
Intensivist
-
Dr Duncan Reid
Emergency Medicine Specialist
Referral Expectations
Patients may be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit/High Dependency Unit from the Emergency Care Centre, a ward, the operating theatre, the Coronary Care Unit or following transfer from another hospital or intensive care unit.
Waitakere Hospital does not have its own Intensive Care Unit or High Dependency Unit, thus patients who require this level of care and do not have conditions for which they need to go to the other Auckland hospitals (see above) are usually admitted to the North Shore Hospital Intensive Care Unit/High Dependency Unit.
North Shore Hospital Intensive Care Service has a Critical Care Outreach Team. This is a 7 day per week service of intensive care nurses experienced in the care of both intensive care and ward patients. The Outreach Team follows up patients who are discharged from the ICU/HDU to other inpatient areas. If a ward team is concerned that a patient is becoming very ill, they can refer to the Outreach Team for clinical review and subsequent involvement of the ICU Medical Team if intensive care or high dependency therapies are required.
Procedures / Treatments
-
Cardiovascular (Heart and Circulation) Problems
A seriously ill patient will often develop problems with their heart and circulation.… More
-
Respiratory Problems
Breathing (or respiratory) problems occur if the breathing system is unable to provide enough oxygen to the tissues (hypoxia) or remove enough carbon dioxide from the body.… More
-
Renal (Kidney) Problems
In a patient with kidney (renal) failure, the kidneys are unable to remove wastes and excess fluid from the body.… More
-
Intravenous and Intra-arterial Lines
Intravenous and intra-arterial lines (tubes inserted into veins and arteries) are often used to allow better monitoring of the patient, repeated pain-free blood testing and delivery of special medications.… More
-
Nasogastric Tube
A nasogastric tube is a tube inserted into the stomach through the nose.… More
Visiting Hours
We recommend that family/friends do not visit between 7:00am to 9:30am or 7:00pm to 8:00pm when handover is occurring. Visiting is usually limited to next-of-kin or close friends, and generally no more than two visitors may be with the patient at a time. Patient care takes priority and visiting may not be possible when some procedures are being undertaken.
A waiting room is next to the ICU/HDU. Vending machines are within a general waiting area near the main lifts and on the ground floor.
Please consult the Charge Nurse before bringing children under the age of 12 years to visit the patient. Children must be supervised at all times.
To reduce the risk of infection, please clean your hands with alcohol gel before and after visiting the patient area. In certain situations, you may need to wear a mask and gown and gloves whilst visiting the patient (these will be provided if necessary). Flowers are not permitted in the patient area as they may be an infection risk.
Website
Contact Details
North Shore Hospital
North Auckland
Phone
(09) 486 8900
Website
Freephone 0800 80 93 42 - Waitemata DHB residential areas only
Patient enquiries:
(09) 486 8930
Emergency Department: Open 24 hours / 7 days, Phone (09) 486 8900
GPs, HAVE YOU REGISTERED FOR A USER NAME & PASSWORD? There is important referral information in the 'Medical Professional Only' section. Please register through Healthpoint now.
Shakespeare Road
Takapuna
Auckland 0620
Street Address
Shakespeare Road
Takapuna
Auckland 0620
Postal Address
Private Bag 93503
Takapuna
Auckland 0740
Would you recommend this service to family & friends?
Was this page helpful?
This page was last updated at 1:06PM on November 26, 2020. This information is reviewed and edited by Waitematā DHB Intensive Care & High Dependency Units.